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Where are they now? Jordon Ibe and Liverpool's young guns

We look at Jordon Ibe and the other young players to come through Liverpool in recent years.

This weekend, Jordon Ibe will face Liverpool for the first time since leaving Anfield in the summer.

Ibe signed for Liverpool as a 16-year-old and went on to make over forty first team appearances for the club, before making a big money move to Eddie Howe’s AFC Bournemouth.

The winger is one of many young and exciting prospects to pass through Liverpool in recent years, so let’s catch up with some of those players.

Ibe wasn’t the only Liverpool youngster to join Bournemouth this summer, as Brad Smith also switched Merseyside for the south coast. The Australian-born left-back recently made his league debut for the Cherries in their 3-1 defeat to Arsenal.

Jerome Sinclair joined Liverpool from West Bromwich Albion in 2011. A year later, the striker became Liverpool’s youngster ever player when he came on against his former club in the League Cup. Sinclair moved to fellow Premier League side Watford in the summer but is yet to play.

The biggest name youngster to leave Anfield in recent years is Raheem Sterling. The pacey winger broke into the senior side at 17 years old and went on to become a key member of Brendan Rodgers’ team. In 2015, he became the most expensive English player of all time when he joined his current club Manchester City.

There are a few ex-Liverpool youngsters currently playing in the second tier of English football. Conor Coady joined Huddersfield Town in 2014, and his impressive performances earned him a move to Wolverhampton Wanderers. The midfielder has been a regular in the Wolves side so far this season.

Jack Robinson left Liverpool in 2014 to sign for Queens Park Rangers. The left-back was on loan at Huddersfield Town when he suffered a knee injury that kept him out for the season. Robinson recently made his long awaited return to action with QPR in their 2-0 defeat to Brentford.

Robinson was part of the QPR side that beat Norwich last weekend, and the Canaries also have an ex-Liverpool academy player in their ranks. Sergi Canos has made three league appearances since his summer move to East Anglia.

The likes of Jay Spearing and Ryan McLaughlin now ply their trade in League One. After making over 50 appearances for Liverpool, Spearing now turns out for promotion hopefuls Bolton Wanderers. McLaughlin never featured for Liverpool in the league, and the 22-year-old currently plays for Oldham Athletic.

There are a few of these young guns that have since joined non-league clubs. Adam Morgan had spells with Hemel FC and Colwyn before moving to Curzon Ashton in October. Michael Ngoo was a free agent until he signed for National League side Bromley a few weeks ago. Ngoo will come up against fellow Red academy player Jordan Lussey, who is a regular in midfield for Southport.

Many ex-Liverpool youngsters have ventured outside of English football. Danny Wilson and Jordan Rossiter are in Scottish Premier League as part of Mark Warburton’s Rangers side. Last weekend, Wilson was on the winning side against fellow ex-Liverpool youngster David Amoo, who featured for Patrick Thistle.

Suso made just over 20 appearances for Liverpool before moving to Italian giants AC Milan in 2015. The midfielder is starting to turn heads for Rossoneri, and already has five goals and six assists this campaign.

Joao Carlos Teixeira hasn’t enjoyed the same success since his move to Portuguese side Porto. The 23-year-old is yet to feature under Nuno Espirito Santo.

It has also been a mixed time for Dani Pacheco at Real Betis. After failing to claim a regular place in the side, Pacheco spent last season on loan at Deportivo Alaves and is currently spending a season with Getafe.

There have been slightly more obscure moves for Krisztian Adorjan and Nathan Ecclestone. Adorjan has spent the last two years with Serie B side Novara Calcio. Ecclestone had a brief spell in Scottish football with Patrick Thistle and Kilmarnock, before he moved to Hungarian side Bekescsaba.

James Prestridge

I am a football and film writer based in Watford but I can often be found with my head in hands at The Hawthorns. I have a passion for football at all levels and regularly attend games across the country.